Top 10 Best Comebacks in the MCU

“Avengers: Infinity War” (2018)

Thor was left in a desperate state after his people and brother were decimated by Thanos. We truly see the depth of his trauma when Rocket leads the god of thunder on a mission. Although the guardian doesn’t normally talk about feelings, he reaches out to a depressed Thor. During their pep talk, Rocket asks the god of thunder if he’s ready for another bout with the mad titan. Thor throws out a quick and cocky response. Although his words are funny, there’s a deep layer of sadness and doubt underneath all his bravado. Over the span of one comeback, we see that the once-bold warrior has been truly shaken by his recent losses.

“Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.2” (2017)

Rocket is perhaps the most savage member of the Guardians of the Galaxy. He takes what he wants, says what he wants, and laughs at everyone for not being as smart as him. So when he got kidnapped by the Ravagers, we expected him to come up with something great. Rocket rewards us with a series of verbal smackdowns when he’s kidnapped by the mutinous Ravagers. While he’s securely tied up, their new leader announces his name is Taserface. Our favorite sarcastic Racoon can’t resist immediately making fun of the ridiculous moniker. Rocket’s commitment to throwing out continuous insults while being held hostage is impressive and hilarious.

“Captain America: The First Avenger” (2011)

Given the moral quality of Captain America, you don’t expect him to say anything rude. In fact, he unconsciously shuns anyone who swears in “Avengers: Age of Ultron”. But Steve still came up with one of the greatest comebacks in the MCU without being disrespectful. We first see him say this phrase when he’s still a scrawny kid from Brooklyn facing down an intimidating man. While Steve’s words didn’t seem like much then, they take on much more significance when he suits up. He drops this catchphrase when he’s really backed into a corner. At one point, Steve even said it to his future self! The phrase is a brilliant extension of Roger’s constant effort to be a good man who never gives up.

“The Avengers” (2012)

Nick Fury has a tough job as Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. He has to wrangle uncooperative superheroes, manage tense situations on the ground and deal with higher-ups going over his head. But although he answers to someone at the end of the day, he’s not afraid to speak his mind. In one scene, the world security council decides the best way to stop the Chitauri invasion of New York is to nuke Manhattan. But Nick Fury rejects their decision with a blistering insult. Dealing with oblivious supervisors is something we can all relate to. So, we love Nick Fury standing up to his bosses. He verbally shoots the plan down before literally shooting at one of the planes the council authorized.

“Avengers: Age of Ultron” (2015)

Meant to be an artificial intelligence that could protect the world, Ultron was to be Iron Man’s crowning achievement. And since it was made by Stark, it makes sense that the evil robot would inherit some of his wit. As Ultron goes rogue and begins gathering what he needs to take down the Avengers, his sophisticated but arrogant demeanor gets him compared to his creator. Although he doesn’t like the comparison, he can’t seem to get away from it. This is clear moments later when Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, including Stark, crash the party, Ultron can’t help making a witty and memorable remark about eggs mere right before his creator could.

“The Avengers” (2012)

No one is safe from Tony’s epic wit, even in the most serious of situations. As Iron Man and Captain America attempt to bring Loki back to Nick Fury, they’re interrupted by Thor. After the god of thunder steals his brother away, Stark immediately follows the Asgadians. He interrupts the brotherly heart to heart and starts to get on Thor’s nerves. Before the two trade blows, Iron-man brings this God of Thunder down to earth a bit with a verbal smackdown. Making fun of Thor’s speech pattern with a Shakespeare reference is now a classic MCU line. It was also a great preview of Tony’s many Avengers-oriented insults.

“Iron Man” (2008)

Most of the time, we’re expecting the main heroes to be handing out fatal burns. But Pepper Potts shows us that you don’t have to be a superhero to be a badass wordsmith. Before she married Tony or ran Stark Industries, she was his assistant. Potts was often matching wits with the soon to be Armored Avenger around while trying to keep him on schedule. But when working for someone this eccentric, you may have to go a bit beyond the job description. One of these duties is making sure the late night guests he brings back are taken care of. A reporter Tony spent the night with tries to take a shot at Ms. Potts. But Pepper absolutely eviscerates her with a fiery response.

“Thor: Ragnarok” (2017)

Thor’s character took a turn in a more comedic direction after “Thor: The Dark World”. One of our first chances to see his funny side came in the Team Thor trailers. While his allies were fighting in “Civil War”, the Asgardian was apparently messing with his new roommate Daryl. While not necessarily canon, he gets up to plenty of shenanigans like visiting schools, theorizing about the Infinity Stones, meeting up with Bruce, and getting ghosted by his fellow Avengers. After his roommate Daryl suggests Thor gets a job, the god of thunder then drops a cocky comeback. The Avenger continues to school the man with a funny take on brains. Daryl probably wishes he kept his mouth shut after Thor’s hilarious tirade.

“Avengers: Infinity War” (2018)

Each actor in the MCU cast brings their own special talents and methods to their roles. Dave Bautista, in particular, seems like an expert at improvisation. And as Drax, he’s the king of naive and oblivious dialogue. He immediately cranked tons of witty retorts in his first appearance in Guardians of the Galaxy. (xref) But perhaps the greatest comeback from our muscle-bound destroyer came in “Infinity War” when the Guardians fought Dr. Strange, Iron Man, and Spider-man. As Star-Lord begins demanding answers from what he thinks is Thanos’ lackeys, a hilarious back and forth ensues. Bautista chimed in with a perfectly improvised line that left us in stitches and spawned many memes.

Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.

Black Falcon, “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier” (2021)
Sam Educates Some Kids

Only If I Die, “Avengers: Infinity War” (2018)
During Thor’s Bold Boast, He Seemingly Forgets How Death Works

That’s a Crown?, “Thor: Ragnarok” (2017)
The God of Thunder Deals a Burn to the Fire Demon Surtur About His Appearance

Born Yesterday, “Avengers: Age of Ultron” (2015)
Vision Deflects Ultron’s Cynical Views

Puny God, “The Avengers” (2012)
Loki Gets Put in His Place

“The Avengers” (2012)

It always seems like Tony has some witty comeback ready, no matter what situation he’s in, be it bantering with his teammates or standing up to villains. (xref) But his most iconic clapback came from the first Avengers movie. After Stark and Banner begin poking around at Nick Fury and S.H.I.E.L.D’s shady secrets, tension starts to build among the Avengers. When Iron Man’s jokes about Bruce cross the line, Steve Rogers chimes in and attacks Stark’s incredibly selfish ego. Tony drops the mic with what is perhaps the most famous and savage comeback to come out of the MCU yet.